Camera Phones Plaza

Ok, would you please allow me to have a couple of minutes in order to breathe in, breathe out, and get over the impact one particular website has just had on me? I’m actually speechless right now and words don’t come very easy. While most phones that are being developed nowadays are iPhone-wannabes and everyone is waiting for a brand new Nokia device or for a stunning iPhone 3, here comes the Pomegranate concept phone, wiping out all competition. It definitely is based on different ideas, as it looks like it’s trying to challenge not only phone devices.

We’re looking at a brilliant concept that makes it all: not only does it translate what you say into any language, but it also can be used for presentations and movies, as it has an integrated mini projector. And if it wasn’t enough, the Pomegranate Phone doubles as a harmonica. Ok, this is where we all become skeptics about this phone’s features, isn’t it? However, the gag-ad brings in front of your eyes a phone that is also your personal shaver and a mobile personal coffee brewer.

The Nova Scotia government launched a new $300,000 viral marketing campaign that has a very well determined purpose: to change the perception of “tech-savvy expats” concerning their home province. Surfing the official website of the Pomegranate, you’ll see that it’s practically mocking the latest all-in-one smart phone gadgets with outrageous abilities (at least for a smartphone, no matter how smart it might be) to brew coffee, shave your legs, double as a harmonica and do power point presentations and GPS navigation. “People are entertained and they want to find out who’s behind this”, said Stacey Jones-Oxner, Nova Scotia Come to Life spokeswoman.

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A simple look at the Pomegranate’s website might change the way you think about mobile phones and make you want even more. Basically, the Pomegranate puts in the palm of your hand more than you ever thought possible: phone, email, MP3 player, built-in camera, video, a global voice translator, full internet browsing and GPS browsing. And that’s just the beginning.

The Pomegranate is equipped with an integrated projector that plays anything that you like on the wide screen, from movies to PowerPoint presentations. This way, your meetings will be brought to a whole new level, while the ultimate home theater experience is handier than ever.



With the Global Voice Translator, you can speak something into the front of the phone and the program will translate what you say in one of the 15 different languages that are available. This way, you will never be afraid to go to those business lunches with all sorts of foreign people.

More than that, you can now receive a fresh cup of coffee from your phone and you can choose one of the four following flavors: Colombian, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Sumatran Blend. The Aquagranate water processor converts the Pomegranate into the only smartphone in the world that is able to make coffee in no more than 30 seconds and treat its user in a royal manner.



There’s also an integrated electric razor. When you start using it, you’ll ask yourself how you’ve ever lived without it. But the Pomegranate isn’t just about work, you know? It’s also about fun. Lots of fun. And what’s more amusing that a phone you can play? Whenever you get bored, you can use the Pomegranate as a harmonica, playing along with the preset beats.



The device is powered by a revolutionary power kernel. The size and shape of a pomegranate seed, this accelerated power cell will keep your Pomegranate charged for 120 hours. That’s a full 5 days. Unlike most small devices batteries, the power kernel delivers more power at a fraction of the size. In addition, there’s a wireless charging, which means you need no chargers, no cords. Simply place the Pomegranate next to any running electronic device and it will automatically charge itself to full power. Next to your laptop, on the refrigerator, in the car; the Pomegranate wirelessly draws on the current and charges without you even knowing it.

As I’ve said it before, this is a campaign, actually, as Stacey Jones-Oxner confesses: “We want to get business people and others looking at us as a place to invest, work, live and do business”. Therefore, don’t dream about this concept-phone, ‘cause it will surely never see the light of the day, even if it’d be absolutely great to own such an all-in-one device, wouldn’t it?

(Source concept-phones.com)

I’m sure everybody has already heard about Dual SIM phones, as they are very fashionable at the moment. The fundamental characteristic of such a device is that it integrates “two Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs). Dual-SIM adapters are available to allow cellphones to contain two SIMs, and to switch from one to the other as required. Some phones are designed to work with two SIMs, both of which may be active at the same time” ( Wikipedia).

Using two SIM cards in one phone is an option more and more considered by people nowadays, because this way they can have a personal and a business number with one handset and one handset only. You save money, of course, but you will also say goodbye to carrying two mobile phones on you all the time, since cell phones manufacturers have tried to solve somehow this situation. And the results are more than ingenious, I might say.

But dual SIM phones will soon become history, because you can find on the market even 3SIM cards. However, how about 4 SIMs? It sounds ridiculous and it makes you laugh, isn’t it, just because this is something extremely rare, if not a never tried before idea.

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Have a look to the new Magma Phone Concept, designed by Amit Vagyani. The source of inspiration for the design of this device is one of the most important elements of nature: fire, which depicts heat and enthusiasm. You can easily recognize the fact that this new era we’re facing today is more demanding than previous years, being necessary to introduce an “immediate and high end connectivity in the world of communication”. Therefore, Magma is the perfect solution to satisfy the demands of fast growing businessmen and gives the chance to evolve in a smart way with the power of “parallel quadro connectivity with 4 SIM facility”. In other words, you can use different numbers for different purposes, so that your private number stays really private.

Magma has an ultra slim design and features a twin option for touchscreen and keypad. Among its specifications there is the possibility of extendable memory, up to 40 GB, a 5 megapixel camera with 8x optical zoom, Bluetooth connectivity, infrared, Wi-Fi, twin CDMA and GSM compatibility. Measuring 100 x 49 x 16 millimeters and weighing 60 grams, Magma’s battery lasts up to 12 hours of active talk mode. Quite nice, isn’t it?

It’s a concept, as I’ve told you before, and there is no information on price and availability, but I’d bet all my money on the fact that lots of people are already looking forward for such a device to hit the mass production.

(Source concept-phones.com)

What is this passion for crystals all about anyway and where does it come from? They’re almost everywhere: from jewellery, clothes, footwear, to gadgets and all kinds of accessories. They’re invading any space they can reach to, alright, and people seem to just love it. In my childhood’s fairytales, whoever possessed some sacred ancient crystal could immediately take over its power and make use of it according to his wish. Therefore, they were the synonym for welfare and luxury.



But nowadays, things have changed: crystals are so common that they do not make the same impression as they did before. Nevertheless, seeing such a crystal phone might leave you speechless.

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It’s true, crystal phones have been the talk of the design world over the past years, but they usually feature a small crystal piece. That’s why the Quartz Tele Concept could be considered the extreme version of such a gadget, as the device uses large quartz crystals instead of the traditional button pad. Each quartz replaces a specific number on a dial pad and they are all bright and shiny colored. Under each crystal there is an embedded LED and pressing each crystal illuminates it like a Christmas tree. They all sit on a base with a sharp LED screen that displays information every user needs, such as incoming calls, dates and contacts.

The designer of the concept is Tao Ma, a name that should sound familiar, as he created the Bracelet phone also, another innovative device that shows us how phones will look like in the future. The Quartz Tele Concept isn’t available on the market, but it sure gives us a hint on how technology will develop in the next couple of years.

(Source Concept-phones)

I can’t stand it when I’m in the middle of an exciting conversation and my cell phone starts ringing loudly. Everyone stops from whatever they were saying or doing and stares at the person who interrupted the soul-lifting exchange of words. And the person is me and me only. I just hate that.

Therefore, I switch my phone on its silent mode whenever I am to meet someone and I never make an exception about it. It’s no wonder I rarely hear my phone and almost all the time I must return the call in order to find out the reason someone needed me. It’s no wonder, on the other hand, I am always advised to wear my phone like a pendant hanging from my neck, so I at least feel its vibrations whenever it’s ringing and never miss another phone call again.

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But why should I make such a fool of myself when I could simply wear my phone on my wrist and people wouldn’t even dare to imagine that my bracelet is in fact my phone? Don’t to laugh at me, because, you know, there are lots of people who hate to carry around their phones, even if they get smaller and slimmer. Therefore, if carrying a mobile phone in the pocket or bag seems inconvenient, then wearing it on your wrist might be just what the doctor ordered.



The cell phone bracelet concept was developed by the Chinese designer Tao Ma for the 2006 Lite On Corporation awards. Whenever this shiny bracelet phone receives any message it starts slightly vibrating and you can read the text by taking it off the wrist and pressing its precious looking-like-a-diamond keystroke.



The same thing happens also when you want to pick up or make a telephone call. Based on simplicity, the concept might look like it’s compromising the display and the controls, which are placed on the inner side of the bracelet. There’s a small rigid section in the middle that houses the display, chips and battery, while the microphone is at one end (with the keypad buttons above) and the small speaker at the other end.

The bracelet includes an MP3 player and can be connected to headphones, which means you can replace your iPod or other MP3 player with your multifunctional bracelet phone.



You should be aware of the fact that most of the concept phones will never become an actual product and won’t be commercialized, but it’s interesting to see how mobile phones will look like in the not-so-very-far future.

(Source Concept-phones)

Maybe you read about the Luxury Mpingo Phones from Gresso. They are made of African Blackwood, a very expensive material on the commercial timber market.

Now i want to present to you the Maple Phone from 2 designers that won Silver at the International Design Excellence Awards 2008 ( IDEA) competition for the Free Wind, best room air conditioner design.
Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee created a camera phone concept covered in thin wooden film, with touch sensitive buttons that light up through the housing when you touch the phone.

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The cell phone measures 4.5 x 10.4 x 9.8 cm and is a slider with functions like calling, texting, MP3 player and digital camera. It provides basic cell phone functionalities in a cool and unique handset inspiring “special emotion” with its soft feel and a natural look.
The touch-sensitive sensors located in the back of the housing turn on the backlight, responding to your finger touch, bringing the wood to life. It would probably use the capacitive touch technology, which is a special panel coated with indium tin oxide or a similar material capable to conduct continuous electrical current across the sensor.
Maple’s LCD display reveals itself from back as you slide the phone.



This wood phone concept would be manufactured at lower costs and it’d surely be available at an affordable price, much lower than the 3500 Euro Gresso phones.
Other wood phones use special plastics instead of wood, both for the keep it green idea and for an easier manufacturing process.